French Burn Variation: 5.Nxe4 Be7

French Defense: Burn Variation

Definition

The Burn Variation is a branch of the French Defense that arises after the moves 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6. Black immediately attacks the e4–pawn with the knight instead of pinning the c3-knight with …Bb4 (the Winawer) or closing the centre with …dxe4 (the Rubinstein). The line is named after the English master Amos Burn (1848-1925), who repeatedly employed the system at top level around the turn of the 20th century.

Strategic Ideas

• Early central tension: By targeting e4, Black forces White to clarify the centre. The typical continuations are 4.e5, 4.Bg5, or 4.exd5.
• Flexible development: Black delays the customary …Bb4 in order to keep options open—…Bb4, …Be7, or even …Nd7 depending on White’s choice.
• Counter-attacking chances: Because Black often castles quickly, the half-open e-file and pressure on d4/e4 give Black dynamic opportunities if White over-extends.
• Solid but less theoretical: Compared with the heavily analysed Winawer or Tarrasch, the Burn frequently steers play into fresh, manoeuvring positions.

Main Move Orders

1. 4.e5 Nfd7 → resembles an Advance French with the knight misplaced on d7 instead of f6.
2. 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 (or 5…Nbd7)  → the classic Burn line, discussed in the next section.
3. 4.exd5 exd5 5.Nf3  → leads to symmetrical structures where piece play is paramount.

Historical Significance

Although Amos Burn popularised the variation, it temporarily fell out of fashion once the sharp Winawer (…Bb4) became the main battleground of the French. The line was revived in the 1970s by Viktor Korchnoi—most notably in his Candidates matches against Spassky (1977) and later against Karpov in their 1978 World Championship match. In the computer era, elite players such as Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura have used it as a practical weapon to sidestep heavy theory.

Illustrative Game

Spassky vs. Korchnoi, Candidates SF (Game 7), 1977

Korchnoi chose the rare 5…Be7 line, willingly accepting doubled f-pawns in exchange for the bishop pair and long-term central control. He eventually converted the structural plus into a full point, underscoring the soundness of the variation.

Interesting Facts

• Amos Burn was one of the few contemporaries of Steinitz who fully adopted positional ideas; his opening choice here reflects that strategic bent.
• In modern databases the Burn Variation scores roughly 50 % for both sides—remarkably balanced compared with other French branches.
• Because most club players prepare heavily for the Winawer and Classical (…Nf6 followed by …Bb4), meeting them with the Burn can be an excellent practical surprise weapon.

French Defense – Burn Variation: 5.Nxe4 Be7

Definition

The sequence 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 occurs in the Burn Variation after White pins the f6-knight. Black immediately breaks the pin with …Be7, preparing to castle and creating a quiet, positional struggle rather than the sharper 5…Nbd7 lines.

Typical Position After 5…Be7

Pieces are usually arranged as follows:

• White: King on e1, queen on d1, bishops on g5 and c1, knights on c3 & e4, pawns on e4, d4, etc.
• Black: King on e8, queen on d8, bishop just arrived on e7, knight on f6, pawns on e6 & d5.

The immediate plans revolve around whether White exchanges on f6 (Bxf6) or retreats, and whether Black can rapidly achieve …c5 or …b6 followed by …Bb7.

Strategic Themes

• Breaking the pin: By playing …Be7 instead of …Nbd7, Black forces the dark-squared bishop to decide—exchange on f6 or concede the pin.
• Structural choices: If White exchanges on f6, Black gains the bishop pair but often doubles the f-pawns after …gxf6. Both structures are fully playable.
• Quiet manoeuvring: Compared with the ultra-sharp Winawer, this line often transposes into IQP-type or Carlsbad-like pawn structures where understanding outweighs memorisation.
• Castling speed: By clearing the kingside, Black can sometimes castle more quickly than in the 5…Nbd7 line, reducing tactical risk.

Main Continuations

1. 6.Bxf6 gxf6 – White damages Black’s pawn structure but concedes the bishop pair. Plans revolve around pressuring f6 and exploiting the half-open g-file.
2. 6.Nxf6+ Bxf6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 – leads to mass exchanges; often equal but still rich in play.
3. 6.Qd3 Nxe4 7.Bxe7 Qxe7 – a symmetrical queen exchange line aiming for early endgame.

Annotated Mini-Game

Here White exchanged on f6 and steered for kingside pressure, but Black’s pair of bishops and central pawn mass offered full counter-chances.

Historical & Modern Practice

The 5…Be7 line has been played by solid defenders such as Ulf Andersson and more recently by GMs like Étienne Bacrot. Because engines evaluate the resulting positions as roughly equal, the line remains an attractive practical choice.

Trivia & Anecdotes

• Viktor Korchnoi allegedly prepared the 5…Be7 branch overnight before his 1978 World Championship game 8 versus Karpov, only to see Karpov avoid the critical line with 4.e5.
• Many club players confuse the 5…Be7 setup with the Rubinstein Variation (where Black first captures on e4 on move 3), yet the subtle move-order differences radically change the middlegame plans.
• According to database statistics (2023), 5…Be7 scores a healthy 49 % for Black—a shade better than the more popular 5…Nbd7.

Why Learn This Line?

• Sidestep heavily analysed Winawer theory.
• Acquire flexible plans that teach positional chess: outpost creation, bishop-pair dynamics, and pawn-structure transformations.
• Use it as a surprise weapon—the vast majority of opponents expect 5…Nbd7 or even 3…Bb4.